Put Your Money Where Your Faith Is

21^st Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22B)

Mark 10.17-31

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 24:20)

 

Last week was the start of our annual stewardship campaign, with the theme of “Walk in Love.” Over a seven-week period we will explore, through reflections by parishioners, what it means for us to Walk in Love—with God and with our neighbors. We will explore what part St. Gregory’s plays in that walk of love. Or we could make it easy, reduce the stewardship campaign to one day by simply following Jesus’ directions to the rich young man: “sell what you own, and give the money to the poor.” Or in this case, give the money to the church. Let us take care of distributing it to the poor. After all, that is one of the primary ministries of the church.

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Models for the Kingdom of God

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22B)

Mark 10.2-16

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 25:25)

 

Once again, the Pharisees are testing Jesus, trying to trick him into saying something blasphemous, something they could use as evidence of heresy. And once again, Jesus sidesteps the trap and, in the process, turns the tables on the Pharisees, presenting a masterful, albeit subtle condemnation of the religious authorities. This time, the subject of discussion is marriage and divorce. While Jesus ultimately succeeds in making marriage and divorce a metaphor for relationship with God, before we go there, we need to take a look at some of the nuances of marriage and divorce as viewed in Jesus’ time.

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